Saved From A Life In Slavery

Though local history contains many accounts of injustice perpetrated against enslaved black people here, the story of one Hebron family illuminates the better angels of Connecticut's nature.

Caesar and Lois Peters and their children were the property of Samuel Peters, a prominent minister and Tory sympathizer. Forced to flee to England when the war began, Peters left his home in the care of Caesar and his family. Though the property was confiscated, the black family continued to live in Hebron, where Caesar had lived since his childhood.

The following excerpt is from "Tapestry, A Living History of the Black Family in Southeastern Connecticut," a study by James M. Rose and Barbara W. Brown, published by the New London Historical Society.

"After the Revolutionary War, the Rev. Samuel Peters, in letters to his relatives in Connecticut, expressed concern for his slave family. Furthermore, he stated his willingness to free Caesar and Lois.

"Mounting debts, however, soon forced him to change his mind. He authorized his attorneys to sell Caesar and his family to David Prior of South Carolina. After the sale was realized in 1787, Prior came north to claim his property. Arriving in Norwich, he obtained a team and gathered a band of eight armed men, after which he set out for Hebron.

"Most of Hebron's male population was absent, for it was militia training day, so Prior and his men had no trouble forcing the Peters family into a wagon for the return trip to Norwich.

"On the way, Caesar and his two older sons did everything they could to hinder progress. After nightfall, Caesar discreetly picked up stones from the roadside and loaded them into the wagon to slow them down. His son, James, was finally able to make his escape into the woods, but for the rest of the family the situation seemed hopeless.

"When the men of Hebron returned from training and were told of the abduction, they immediately devised a plan to save Caesar and his family. Elijah Graves, a local tailor, swore out a warrant for Caesar's arrest, claiming that the black man had left town without paying a bill for some articles of clothing. The warrant was issued, stating that Caesar, Lois, and the children were guilty of the theft of "one blue broadcloth coat with white buttons, worth five shillings lawful money, and one pair of corduroy breeches."

"With a posse of six of the town's leading residents, the constable started out in pursuit of Caesar. At top speed they galloped through the night over the stony and hilly road to Norwich. They arrived at the docks on the Thames River just as Caesar and his family were about to be put on board ship.

"Caesar, with the "salt tears frozen on his cheeks," after his all night trip behind the wagon, listened with concealed glee as the warrant was read to him. He and his entire family were then promptly arrested and returned to Hebron.

"That night, all celebrated at Roger Fuller's tavern with toddy, brandy and a quart of rum. The following day, Caesar, Lois and the children were tried for theft in the local justice court, found guilty, and bound over to their friend, Elijah Graves, for a period of two years. January, 1789, Caesar petitioned the General Assembly for the emancipation of himself and his family, and the State granted his request. The Peters household then settled in Hebron to face the everyday problems of life..."